NEW ZEALAND WELFARE LEAGUE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16905, 2 December 1922, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND WELFARE LEAGUE.

TO THE ELECTORS OF NEW ZEALAND. The League desires to point, out. to you that it is not only the duty but it is to the advantage oi every man and woman that they should take an interest ijr the governance of the country and particularly in the class of member you send to Parliament. For this reason it is essential that you should carefully consider the grave problems of the day freed from parti i oi - sectional bias, and the W elfare League ventures to place before you I certain aspects of the present political | position from a national point of view. THE MAIN ISSUE. i Speaking broadly, the alternative be- • fore the country are. on the one hand | sound, progressive government recogj nising the rights of the individual. 1 and on the other, socialistic corn mu nj ism aiming at the abolition of individI ual property and rights and controlling j every activity. The Reform end Lnb- ; oral Parties stand for the first and the | so-called “Labour” Party for the lat- ! ter. # \ IDo not make any ini stoke about thi« aspect of the present elections, and do . not allow artificial party division#, ! specious manife 9 toes and other electioneering devices to cloud the real J issues at stake. I WHAT THE COUNTRY NEEDS.

The great war has been followed by world-wide difficulties —there can only he solved |.y good government and sound statesmen ship, no quack remedies will the case. At the fViming elections you are ottered two alternative remedies, the Reform and Liberal Parties propose to build up and strengthen—in the interests of all—the shattered fabric of our institutions by constructive measures, while the Red Party advocate the tearing down—in one act —ot the whole social and political structure which has taken centuries to build, and to substitute in its place a nebulous-made abomination, which past and present history has proved to be disastrous to every one outside a few self-interest-ed leaders. The country needs stability and an opportunity to work out its own solvation with all classes co-operating in the National interest-. The Red Party offer? class-warfare which means ruin to all. TRADE AND INDUSTRY. The prosperity of the country benefits the whole population and that prosperity can only be realised by allowing trade, commerce and industry to be carried on without the handicap of artificial regulations or compulsory controls-. Any legislation which tends to ; interfere with the natural law's of sup- ; ply and demand must, as a general | rule, result in curtailing the enterprise on which our prosperity depends. New I Zealand requires less govermnwnt wtI terference ant: less restrictive legisla- | tiou. For these reasons the League protects against the tendency of both Re- * form and Liberal Parties, in Parliament and in their Manifestoes, to extend Government activities and to con- : tinue restrictive legislation, but we ask ! yon to realise that the Tied _ Part.' f objective is to absolutely abolish indi- ! vidual efforts and t-o c ” -ixnali.se the 1 v hole ot the country's trade, industry, i commerce and production. : The lesson of history is that there is no form of Government sn tyrannical | as a bureaucracy and the Rod Party aims at the. bureaucracy of the worst 1 type. TAXATION AND EXPENDITURE. Nothing kills enterprise more than heavy taxation, which also injures the wage earner and causes unemployment. ! I n order to expand trade ;>r<l mi large ; cur industries it is essential that .1 substantial proportion oi each year's income shonld he capitalised and put i Lack into the business. This process ( increases employment and by greater production lessens the cost of the proj curt. The Government now takes so large proportion of income by way of taxction that there i = nothing left to put bar k into industry for expansion. The result, if this state of tilings continue, must, he stagnation and unemployment. The only remedy for this evil is furti cr drastic reduction of public expenditure on sound lines and we call on yon to satisfy yourself that the camii- ! date you vote for will support a policy j overhauling our public expenditure i and placing it on n business footing ; and a speedy curtailment of borrowing} ! except for necessary Public Works ! that will bo lutereeb-ea riling. ; A little has been done in tills direc--1 lion, both Reform and Liberal mani- ! festoes contain somewhat vague gen--1 era 1 promises of more, but the Red ' Party's manifesto makes extravagant j promises which must entail extra ex- ! penditure and must largely increase taxation, and indicates no suggestion of economy which is the crux of the position.

(in; apfbai . ; For reasons we ask vou to VOTE for the best men. independent :.f party consideration;, and above all VOTE SO THAT YOUR VOTE WILL TELL EFFECTIVELY AGAINST' EVERY CANDIDATE WHO IS PLEDGED TO SUPPORT THE DESTRUCTIVE POLICY OF OOMMU N iSVI; winch means tlie end of individiu. i liberty of action. i i For the National Executive, t P. SKEBRET, President ARTHUR P. HARPER, SiHretary. Wellington. Novemlier 11, Ht‘2.